International: Africa
Climate change is the biggest human health risk, says Africa's disease boss
30 Nov 2023
Climate change is the biggest threat to human health in Africa and the rest of the world, the head of the continent's public health agency said.
Leaks reveal how McKinsey drives African climate agenda
29 Nov 2023
Whistleblowers raise alarm over American consultancy’s growing influence in pushing carbon markets and developing energy transition plans.
Devastating flooding in East Africa
27 Nov 2023
Heavy rainfall led to extensive flooding in Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya in October and November.
Neighbourhoods submerged following flash floods in the Horn of Africa
20 Nov 2023
More than 100 people, including 16 children, have died and over 700,000 been forced out of their homes in the Horn of Africa due to flash flooding.
Leaders convene to protect tropical forests
31 Oct 2023
Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of the Congo, had the privilege of hosting the summit of the three major tropical forest basins on the planet.
Africa’s first carbon-removal plant stokes questions about responsible climate solutions
10 Oct 2023
A joint venture between Swiss and Kenya-based companies has been billed as a springboard for creating a new, green economy in Africa.
Environmental groups sue energy company over 'devastating' East Africa oil pipeline
9 Oct 2023
Four environmental groups have filed a law suit against the French group TotalEnergies and its EACOP oil project in Tanzania and Uganda.
Ivory Coast deforestation rate rises as EU green imports law looms
5 Oct 2023
Deforestation in top cocoa producer Ivory Coast increased last year after declining for several years, a major report has found, raising questions about how the country will comply with a new EU law preventing commodity imports linked to forest loss.
“Why do they punish us?” Uganda charcoal ban ignites transition debate
5 Oct 2023
While welcomed in principle, the abrupt charcoal ban has left both traders and buyers unsure of where to turn.
At least 11 people die in South Africa floods
2 Oct 2023
At least 11 people have been killed after heavy rain and winds hit South Africa's Western Cape province, including Cape Town, over the weekend leaving a trail of destruction.
Africa’s first verifiable carbon market launches in Kenya
25 Sep 2023
CYNK launches as the first Africa-based, end-to-end platform for the measurement, verification and sale carbon credits, with forward trade of more than two million carbon futures credits.
Digital technology helps farmers affected by climate change
19 Sep 2023
A Nigerian professor is advocating for the use of digital technology to help the nation’s struggling farmers cope with global warming.
5000 presumed dead in Libya floods
13 Sep 2023
More than 5000 people are presumed dead and 10,000 missing after heavy rains in northeastern Libya caused two dams to collapse, surging more water into already inundated areas.
EU commission chief asks G20 to join global carbon pricing
11 Sep 2023
The European Commission president asked G20 leaders on Saturday to join a proposal to set up global carbon pricing.
Africa climate summit ends with call to reform global financing
7 Sep 2023
The Africa Climate Summit has ended with leaders calling on the global community to act urgently to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, fulfill its obligations and keep financial promises to fight climate change.
African leaders at odds over climate plans as crucial Nairobi summit opens
6 Sep 2023
Oil-producing African nations argue they should be able to use fossil fuel resources for economic growth.
As Africa opens a climate summit, poor weather forecasting keeps the continent underprepared
5 Sep 2023
Much of the world takes daily weather forecasts for granted. But most of Africa’s 1.3 billion people live with little advance knowledge of what’s to come.
Africa’s vast underground water resources are under pressure from climate change
4 Sep 2023
All countries have a variety of water resources – some are on the surface, like rivers, and some are beneath the ground.
Kenya’s ‘green growth’ pitch for Africa Climate Summit sparks justice concerns
25 Aug 2023
Outcry over a fossil fuel consultancy taking a lead role, and unease over the Kenyan president’s focus on finance, raises questions as to whether the summit will truly be “by Africans for Africans”.
Climate change is happening – Africa must adapt to it to survive
23 Aug 2023
Leaders must rally behind a common priority: adaptation to safeguard food systems that feed more than a billion people on the continent.
How to reduce Africa’s undue exposure to climate risks
18 Aug 2023
Africa is disproportionately exposed to catastrophic climate, hydrological and meteorological risks. Well-funded weather monitoring, nowcasting and early-warning systems must become a priority.
Massive carbon offset deal with Dubai-based firm draws fire in Liberia
7 Aug 2023
Liberia may sign away the rights to nearly 10% of its total land mass to a United Arab Emirates-based firm for carbon offset development.
As climate change leads to more and wetter storms, cholera cases rise
2 Aug 2023
In early 2022, nearly 200,000 Malawians were displaced after two tropical storms struck the southeastern part of Africa barely a month apart. Fifty-three people died.
How can Africa get a fair price for its carbon credits?
19 Jul 2023
The world market for carbon credits is growing rapidly – the year 2021 alone saw a 50% increase in real demand, with the value of the voluntary market estimated at anywhere between $40-$100bn by 2030.
Threat of EU carbon tax prompts dubious “green aluminium” claims in Mozambique
5 Jul 2023
Mozambique’s biggest industry claims its aluminium is green, which would help it avoid European taxes – but those claims have been questioned.
Kenya: President Ruto lifts logging ban
4 Jul 2023
Despites concerns from environmental organisations, Kenyan president William Ruto announced he will lift a logging ban which has been in place since 2018.
Africa is uniquely vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
27 Jun 2023
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, tens of millions of Africans are already feeling the negative health impacts of climate change in the form of heat stress, extreme weather and increased transmission of infectious disease.
920 million people face conflict over the world’s rivers by 2050
26 Jun 2023
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam project on the Nile River started operating in February 2022. It reinforced tensions between Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt.
Climate change-induced diseases, stillbirths hurting Africa
21 Jun 2023
Heat exposure, one of the impacts of climate change, has been found to affect health both directly and indirectly.
Malawi’s surprise plan for farming through climate disaster
13 Jun 2023
Climate change is poised to wreck our ability to grow many kinds of crops. But there’s one farming staple that could weather the crisis: dairy.
In Somalia, the rains have come but the crisis is far from over
9 Jun 2023
The international community needs to provide more humanitarian assistance and long-term climate financing to ensure the wellbeing of Somalia’s children.
Millions of Somalis uprooted due to conflicts and climate change
1 Jun 2023
After years of conflict and the effects of climate change, the number of displaced people has reached 3.8 million.
Zimbabwe to regulate carbon credit market to curb greenwashing
25 May 2023
Zimbabwe's government will closely regulate voluntary carbon offset trading in a bid to curb greenwashing and ensure benefits for local communities, its environment minister has said.
Dangote launches Africa’s biggest oil refinery
23 May 2023
Nigeria’s new Dangote petroleum refinery is Africa’s biggest – it will produce 650,000 barrels a day, giving it the potential to address the country’s energy supply crisis.
Somalia climate crisis: ‘No one saw this level of devastation coming’
22 May 2023
Torrential rain, coming on top of the country’s worst drought in four decades, has forced 250,000 people to leave their homes.
Blackout-beset South Africa may delay closing coal stations
26 Apr 2023
President Cyril Ramaphosa says South Africa may delay the timetable for shutting down many of its highly polluting coal-fired power stations as the nation deals with crippling daily electricity blackouts.
Sudan’s Nile fishermen worry as climate change means fewer fish
5 Apr 2023
Al-Nimeiry Musa Mohammad has spent 25 years fishing on the Nile River and he has never been so worried about the future. Catches are dwindling and more fishermen are seeking other sources of income.
Study highlights potential of Africa's 'forgotten' food crops for climate resilience and nutrition
31 Mar 2023
Scientists have identified several forgotten food crops in sub-Saharan Africa that can be incorporated into the cropping system to support climate resilience and nutrition in the region. The study has been published in the journal PNAS.
A climate deal that could become a model for others
24 Mar 2023
Cape Verde is just one of many countries that are struggling under the effects of global warming. But a new approach could provide relief: Debt forgiveness in exchange for a climate fund.
A new report shows huge issues with carbon credits project in Kenya
22 Mar 2023
Expected to generate anywhere between $300 and $500 million and possibly even more, the Northern Kenya Grassland Carbon Project already has huge corporate customers, such as Netflix and Meta.
As climate woes worsen, Africa's ecconomies suffer: UN
17 Mar 2023
From devastating cyclones and floods to an unrelenting drought, African countries are spending between 2% and 9% of their budgets to respond to extreme weather events, according to a United Nations report.
DRC dilemma: Generate oil wealth or combat climate change?
16 Mar 2023
The Democratic Republic of Congo wants more money for climate projects. Otherwise, oil drilling could replace fishermen in the world's largest peat bog. And that could spell devastation for the environment.
African climate activists fight online surveillance
27 Feb 2023
When Tanzanian climate activists posed as delivery couriers to get into energy firm TotalEnergies’ Dar es Salaam office and hand over a placard against a new oil pipeline, they were so fearful of reprisals they had a getaway car waiting.
Drought in Horn of Africa worse than in 2011 famine
23 Feb 2023
Drought trends in the Horn of Africa are now worse than they were during the 2011 famine in which hundreds of thousands of people died.
Nigeria's election: Candidates ignore climate change
23 Feb 2023
Nigeria has been badly hit by climate change, resulting in desertification, a shrinking Lake Chad in the north, flooding in the center and coastal erosion in the south. Yet the issue hasn't played a role in campaigning.
Why African EV startups are struggling
17 Feb 2023
In 2021, Nigerian mobility startup Metro Africa Xpress (MAX) became Africa’s most-funded startup in the electric vehicle (EV) space when it raised $31 million in a series B round to expand into Ghana and Egypt.
DR Congo delays rainforest oil auctions
2 Feb 2023
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has postponed its plans to allow oil companies to drill in its rainforests and peatlands.
Africa objects to US chairing UN climate fund, citing unpaid $2bn
27 Jan 2023
African governments sought to block the US from co-chairing the Green Climate Fund (GCF) board, citing its failure to deliver cash.
Horn of Africa may see record sixth straight failed rainy season
26 Jan 2023
The eastern Horn of Africa just saw an unprecedented fifth straight failed rainy season on record, making it the longest and most severe drought in 70 years of precipitation data.
Africa has a major new carbon market initiative - what you need to know
24 Jan 2023
The Conversation - Climate finance for the African continent got a boost at the 2022 United Nations Climate Conference (COP27), with the launch of the African Carbon Markets Initiative. This aims to make climate finance available for African countries, expand access to clean energy, and drive sustainable economic development.
Australia's battery subsidies spark rooftop solar resurgence
Tue 7 Jul 2026
The rooftop solar boom shows how countries stifled by transmission line logjams can continue reducing emissions, analysts say.
Clean energy hurt but resilient one year after Trump winding back climate policy
Wed 8 Jul 2026
The GOP budget law that President Trump signed a year ago has darkened the outlook for several clean energy sources, but stopped far short of strangling low-carbon tech.
China warming faster than global average as extreme weather intensifies, report says
Mon 6 Jul 2026
China is warming faster than the global average, while extreme heat, heavy rainfall and other severe weather events are becoming more frequent and intense as climate change accelerates worldwide.
Europe may face 'more deadly weeks' as new heatwave builds, WHO warns
Thu 9 Jul 2026
The World Health Organization warned Europe could face “more deadly weeks” ahead, with another intense heatwave forming over the Atlantic.
Low-cost loans for solar panels could save households hundreds on bills – thinktanks
Thu 9 Jul 2026
Millions of UK households could save hundreds of pounds a year on their energy bills if the government were to approve low-cost loans for solar panel installation, research has found.
Canada advances Alberta pipeline to Pacific Coast to expand oil exports beyond the US
Mon 6 Jul 2026
Canada took a step toward opening a new route for its vast oil reserves to Asian markets as Prime Minister Mark Carney advanced a Pacific Coast pipeline from Alberta, seeking to reduce the country’s dependence on the U.S. while easing separatist tensions and preserving environmental protections.
Enhanced flash flood risks in Hindu Kush Himalaya
Thu 9 Jul 2026
The communities in the Hindu Kush Himalaya region could face enhanced risks from flash floods due to bursts of extreme rainfall and cloudbursts during the southwest monsoon season along with high temperatures which could lead to accelerated glacier and snow melting.
‘Those blocking climate science are not our friends': Pacific leaders warn at Bonn talks
23 Jun 2026
Pacific nations and civil society groups have united at UN climate talks, pushing back against efforts to weaken agreed language on global temperature limits as negotiations continue behind closed doors.
Antarctica’s west coast missing an area of sea ice the size of France as temperatures peak 20C above average
16 Jun 2026
A vast area of the Bellingshausen Sea should be covered by sea ice by now, with one expert calling the loss of ice ‘depressing’.
Colombia’s climate crossroads: Trumpism casts shadow over presidential battle
26 May 2026
Colombia is a global leader in climate activism. Could US influence drag country to a future of mining and fracking?
Strong El Nino will develop rapidly over coming months, says UN weather agency
Tue 7 Jul 2026
The United Nations weather agency on Friday raised its forecast for the rapid emergence of a strong El Nino in the coming months, warning that the phenomenon is likely to drive global temperatures higher.
